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Topic: The Walled Garden is Closer (Read 936 times)

Microsoft is hosting its Inspire 2017 partner conference this week, kicking off the event with a big announcement for business and enterprise customers. Many of its corporate customers already have Office 365 and Windows 10 subscriptions, and Microsoft is now launching new, simplified subscriptions that bring these products together with other tools.

"Today," the company said, "we’re excited to announce Microsoft 365, a new set of offerings that include Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security, to create a complete, intelligent, secure solution." Microsoft said this marks "a fundamental shift" in its approach to how it designs and launches its products for the needs of businesses.

There are two Microsoft 365 tiers. Microsoft 365 Enterprise is based on the existing Secure Productive Enterprise plan, and includes Office 365 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise, and the Enterprise Mobility + Security suite. Microsoft said this tier is intended for larger organizations.

Microsoft 365 Business will launch in public preview on August 2, and is designed for "small- to medium-sized business with up to 300 users. It includes Office 365 Business Premium, along with "tailored security and management features from Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security", as well as a "centralized console for deploying and securing devices and users in one location."

Microsoft 365 Business will be priced at $20 per user per month when it launches worldwide in fall 2017, but pricing of the Enterprise offerings haven't yet been announced. We do know that there will be two plans - Microsoft 365 E3 and 365 E5 - in the Enterprise tier, which will be available to buy from August 1.

Microsoft said that these new offerings will also provide "exciting new opportunities" for its global partner community, while simplifying management for the customers that use them.